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                                        MLB ROAD TRIP 2001
                                        2001.4.26  <VOL.9>            Days 9-10

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*We are in Phoenix

Index

1. Day 9 - Lone Pine, CA->Las Vegas via Death Valley
2. Day 10 - Las Vegas

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Day 9 - Tuesday, April 24 - Lone Pine, CA->Las Vegas

After four days of only driving, it was time to see a game in 
Las Vegas. But we had to drive through Death Valley first.
Just south of Lone Pine is Highway 136, which leads into
Death Valley National Park. It is certainly the emptiest
highway that we have used, with cars coming the other way
about once every five minutes or so. 

We stopped for gas and water at a town called Stovepipe
Wells, where gas was $2.41/gallon, the most expensive
that we have seen so far. Apparently we can
expect $3/gallon this summer, so I guess we have to get
used to it. Once you get into the park, the scenery is 
stunning, with golden mountains, sand dunes, and vast
canyon visible for miles. A particular recommendation is
to stop at Zabriskie Point, just east of Furnace Creek on
Highway 190 - it has an amazing view.

Of course, Death Valley's most famous feature is 
that it contains the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, 
at 282 feet below sea level.  I would like to spend  a couple 
of days in the park, as there is a lot of hiking that can be done,
but we'll have to wait till next time. 

Death Valley is also known as the hottest point in North America,
which means that you have to worry about your car overheating
while you are driving through. We saw a couple of people
pulled over refilling their radiators, which looked 
unpleasant given the temperatures outside (about 33
Celsius). We were fortunate to get through with no
problems and continued on to Vegas.

It is amazing that you can drive from one of the most desolate
areas in America to the most gaudy in just over two hours. The
contrast is certainly noticeable as you drive along the strip. 

Anyway, we checked in to our hotel and went to meet some
friends who were spending one night in Vegas. Our first
visitors! Unfortunately, they did not want to attend the ballgame
with us (I can't believe that they would travel all the way to
Vegas and then not go to a baseball game!) so Aya and I
went to the game by ourselves.

It was our second minor league game, this one featuring
the Calgary Cannons vs the Las Vegas 51's. It was touching
to hear the Canadian national anthem in Las Vegas. Calgary
won 6-2 behind the 3-run homer of Ramon Castro, who
has played for Florida in the past couple of years. 

The most interesting thing is that the Las Vegas team has
undergone an image overhaul, changing their name from
Stars to 51's in honour of Area 51, located just north of the
city. Their mascot is called Cosmo, a funny looking alien;
there are posters of famous aliens located around the
ballpark (Yoda - master of the "force" play, , E.T., and 
the Klingon Worf are some examples) and their slogan is
"Out of this world".  The team has taken the image marketing
concept further than many major league teams.

It seems to work as they put on a good show and keep 
the fans entertained. One promotion has soft baseballs 
thrown into the stands - if you catch one, you get a prize. Aya
went up to the top of the section in order to increase her
chances at catching one, and lo and behold, she got one.

Now, Aya had to return it to the information booth to 
claim her prize. I was pretty excited,
wondering what we would win, but sadly, luck was not
on our side this time - the prize was tickets to a future game.
Of course, we would be out of town by then, so they were
useless to us. We did give them away to somebody, so
at least some good came from them.

After the game, we met up with my friends and stayed out all night.
Surprisingly, there's more to Vegas than baseball.

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Day 10 - Wednesday, April 25 - Las Vegas

What can I say - woke up late, said bye to my friends, and walked
the Strip for about 3 hours. After dinner, gambled a bit, winning on 
my baseball bets and losing it on slots, and that's the day. Check
the website for a more detailed description of Las Vegas, but
obviously I was only there for two days and two accurately convey
what is Vegas, one would need to spend about two months there. 

Simply put, if you haven't been here, you should come. It's a cultural
experience to spend one or two days at various casinos, watching
the crowds, gambling, going to the sports books, and eating cheap
meals. This was my third time here, and I will be back.

Thursday sees us driving to Phoenix to see the Diamondbacks
and the Braves. Our next update will be next week - talk to you then.

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